Armed cops swoop on student suburb of Fallowfield to carry out ‘controlled explosion’ hours after Manchester terror attack atrocity
BOMB squads have swooped on a home in Fallowfield with locals reporting an explosion ripped through the Manchester suburb in the wake of last night's terror attack.
Cops were pictured swarming on Elsmore Road to carry out a controlled detonation, with police having this morning confirmed a 23-year-old man was arrested nearby in connection to the Monday night attack.
The raid was one of two carried out, with another carried out in Whalley Range, by investigating cops in relation to the horror that unfolded in Manchester last night.
A witness, who works for TMX, told The Sun Online: "There were quite a lot of police there, I would say between 20 and 30.
"They cordoned off the avenue and told everyone to stay in the house."
He said locals had heard an explosion from the home, believed to have been unoccupied, with it rattling the homes of neighbours.
Police confirmed the blast was a controlled explosion.
Photographs of heavily armed police have also surfaced, with one local saying he heard a "loud bang" in the street.
Greater Manchester Police has reportedly since confirmed the controlled explosion was in connection with their ongoing terrorism investigation.
A landlord from the Q2 Management company, which owns the properties in Fallowfield which have been raided, said: "My daughter-in-law lives here and she rang me to say that police are here.
"All the people are living here are families. I can’t believe that. I did not know them personally but have a good number coming from outside the UK, like students, but we don’t have any people living on their own.
"It is not good news. We have students from Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Libya and then families from Manchester. They are two-bed flats. They are from every race."
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It is unclear what connection the latest police activity has with the attack that claimed the lives of 22 people overnight, which was today slammed by Theresa May as "cowardice".
Some 59 people were injured - including children - in the cowardly attack last night which came towards the end of the concert by Ariana Grande.
Police are reviewing security arrangements in London today, Mayor Sadiq Khan has said.
The attack came exactly four years to the day since Fusilier Lee Rigby's murder by Islamic extremists.
Witnesses told how nuts and bolts were sent flying in the blast at the foyer area as fans made their way to Manchester Victoria train station.
Shocking pictures and video footage have shown the bloodied injured leaving the 21,000 capacity arena as passers-by rushed to try and help.
Police have said they had deployed "significant resources" to probe the horrific terror attack, saying it would remain a "fast-moving" investigation.